Station: [4] Museum of Local History - Map of the Donaumoos

This map from 1824 shows the Donaumoos fen. If you look really closely, you can make out little irregular dots, which represent the existing houses. But there are also regular patterns of plots of land, including buildings that did not yet exist when the map was made. So you’re looking at the status quo in 1824, along with the plan for future building work.  

The Donaumoos was once a large, pristine stretch of fenland, until it was drained and settled around two hundred years ago. People believe the rich, black soil was highly fertile and hoped for bountiful harvests.  

“One has but to draw off the water from the fen, just as one draws off the bad humours from an invalid” …

…claimed one expert opinion. 

The settlement of the fenland began in 1791. The first houses to be completed were in the Karlskron colony. Karlshuld was founded in 1795. The colonies weren’t laid out like an ordinary village, but as what’s called a “Strassendorf”. In other words, the houses and farms all stand right next to the road. Even at first glance, you can see the straight roads on the map along with the straight ditches that are still characteristic of the Donaumoos.

But the dream of flourishing landscapes never came to pass. The fen has its own rules. The colonies fell into poverty and only achieved a measure of prosperity after 1900 – with the introduction of new methods of cultivation and the growth of industry in the surrounding region. Today, some 14,000 people live in the three large municipalities of Karlshuld, Karlskron and Königsmoos. While there have been several drainage schemes, the Donaumoos is still largely given over to arable farming.  

At the next two stops, you’ll discover how the settlers lived and worked in the fen.